Beadle's Dime Library No. 109 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee —_ ——— “Hal ha! ha! and you strung him up to the yard-arm?” “No, he fell fighting bravely: fell by my hand.” “ No, no, no! by thy hand ?” “ Yes.” ‘‘ But he was a splendid swordsman, and none dared cross blades with him.” ‘‘T dared, and I ran him through the heart; but he died hard, as a father should, at the hand of a beloved son.” The intense bitterness of tone cannot be de- scribed in which the youth spoke, and yet youth no longer, for in one hour he had become as a man of double his years, so deeply into his tone had the iron of anguish entered. And then, through the old ruin rung the wo- man’s mocking laughter, while she danced in very glee at some inborn thought of misery to others; and silently he looked upon her, until at last he said: ; *“ Agony to others, is joy to you, woman.” “Boy, you have—” “Call me not Boy; no longer am I young, for the weight of ages of wretchedness are upon me,” he said sternly. ‘¢T will not contradict you; one who dare not claim his own mother, and sent his father’s soul ahneking. (0 perGon, must needs not feel like a child; but do you tell me the truth? Is Hur- tel of the Red Hand dead?” ‘‘T have said it, Witch of Hell.” ** And died he by your hand?” ** He did.” “Then there issome joy in life after all for Zebel the Witch; aha! now I see why thou wear- est the garb of thy king, with an officer’s rank on thy shoulders: thou didst get reward for killing thy own father; ha! ha! ha! it is well that King Billy knew not from whose loins thou didst come, or he’d not commissioned in his roy navy the dishonored brat of a pirate and a Gipsy.” ** Woman, thy insults touch me not, for what- ever thou might say would not be more than the reality of knowing who and what I am; for I do not doubt but you have told the truth,” “Oh! I read the truth only to thee; dost doubt it, hast thou ever seen the portrait of Hurtel in Castle Cor?” ‘Yes; but I have also seen Hurtel himself,” ‘¢Then hast thou seen thyself: the same dark face, sad eyes and stern mouth; the same tall form, slender waist and broad shoulders, in which lay a giant’s strength: dost see thy own resemblance, man, to the devil, thy father ?” ‘“‘T do: the peasant boys have often, when I was a little fellow, called me Sir Hurtel, and only last night did the Earl of Belmont tell me I was strangely like his brother in appearance,” was the cool reply. ‘Well, why dost thou not spring from that window in despair?’ ‘¢ Why should I?” ‘‘ Because of thy dishonored birth, and of thy father’s name.” ‘‘No, I wil] face it.” ‘¢And will you win more honor on King Billy’s ship, when thou knowest that—” | ‘No, no! oh God! no!” ‘‘ Ha! hal! you can yet feel, thou man of iron nerve; but tell me, would you not know of thy mother?” ‘‘ Ay, poor woman, I pity, not condemn her: tell me of my mother, if thou knowest aught regarding her fate.” ** She is dead.” ‘‘Dead! then is she at rest in the grave!” ‘‘ But she lies not in a grave.” ‘* Dead, and Phe not inagrave?’ he asked in an absent-minded way. “* Yes she was hurled into the sea, and by your r | ‘Hal did he this crime too? But then he was worthy of it, being who he was.” ‘¢-You seem not proud of thy father.” ‘Oh yes; no man ever won the name he did, so why not have pride in his name?” “True, and no man will ever again be the cruel being he was,” she said impressively. " Why? “‘ Because monsters in human form, such as he was, are not often found, and well they are not; ee on me, hast thou hopes of Kate of Castle r The man’s head droo against the stone and he remained silent; for over him came that he would lose by being what he was. ‘* Wilt thou ask Lady te of Castle Cor, to wed the son of Hurtel the Red Hand?” He turned fiercely toward her, and almost shrieked forth: ; “No, a thousand times, no! from this night I bid farewell to every hope of ambition to every thought of love, and go forth—” oe Where?” ‘‘T know not; I care not! only let me hide myself from honorable men and I will be con- tent,” he said bitterly. . Bex cael canst be worthy of thy father, didst ou wish. ‘*Hal fiend! temptress! nt! what mean ing ber er he with a grasp t made her scream out w pain. *“Unhand me, and I will tell you.” He released her, .nd she said sumply: Captain Kyd, the King of the B ee * Follow me!’’ ( raga» he obeyed, and she led him from the room, along the dark corridor to the sea tower. — = -——--- CHAPTER XXIV. THE STRANGE VESSEL. Upon reaching the sea tower, the Witch and the man into whose ears she had poured such a bitter story of misery, crime and horror, found the stone stairs choked up with the debris of the turrets, which had been shattered by the lightning’s stroke. ut, picking their way up the stairs, over the atoms of stone and dirt, they soon reached the top. The parapet of stone was all gone upon the sea side, the flooring rent, and other marks were visible of the fearful stroke the storm-clouds had hurled upon the tower, as if in anger of the coer y and evil scenes enacted within the castle walls. ‘‘Why have you brought me here, Zebel?”’ “Tt was a moment before the stroke that I stood here.” ‘‘T saw you, and feared for your life.” “Oh, no, ¢ eath and I are wide apart, yet; there is more deviltry for my hands to do ro bees for my tongue to give to those ,, ‘‘Then you hate me, Zebel?” “Did I love thee would I tell thee what I have?’ ‘No: but what have I done to wrong thee, woman?” ‘Tt matters not; at least not now; but though I hate thee, I would serve thee.” ‘‘A strange paradox; but why brought you me here?” ‘*To serve you, Isay; to show you how you can be worthy of thy red-handed father!” ‘‘Tell me and Vil prove me no dull pupil, Zebel, Witch,” he said, bitterly. She had already been glancing earnestly area’ her and upon the sea, and suddenly cried: ‘‘ Ah! ’tis there: now look where I point: what see you creeping close inshore under the shadow of Castle Cor? ‘* A vessel!” ‘‘ Ay, a vessel it is; and what do you make her out?’ He gazed earnestly at the strange sail for a moment, and then said, slowly: “Tf I mistake not it is the frigatoon of Hur- tel the Red Hand.” ‘‘ You have good eyes; it is his lugger; but he commands her not, eh?” ‘“‘T have told you that I killed him, woman,” ‘* Ah! I like to hear the sweet words again.” ‘‘ But what does his vessel here?” ‘‘Where has his vessel a better right to go than to the castle of its master?’ “True; and yonder vessel is coming here?” ‘* She is; she was due last night; for once = six months she comes into this bay, and— ‘‘T am listening.” ‘‘ And she generally seeks a night of storm, meee are curious eyes upon this coast, my ord. ‘‘What comes yonder vessel here for?” ‘‘ That you will soon know; see, she is stretch- ing across the bay, and is beading for the base of this tower.” “Well, wouldst thou know why she comes, I will tell thee that it is to hide her ill-gotten gains in the vaults of this castle; there are vast riches there now, jewels that sparkle as the eyes of the sweet lady of Castle Cor; emeralds as blue as the orbs of Lady Grace of Greyhurst Castle; gold as pure as the woman thon dost love; silver from the mines of the Ind, and all gems, gold, silver, stained with blood.” ‘‘ T do not doubt it.” “The blood of men und of women, ay, and of children.” ‘Yes, some said that Hurtel of the Red Hand, my noble father, held no mercy.” ‘Nor did be.” ‘‘ And in this old castle he hid his ill-rotten treasure?” ee Yes. ” ‘‘ And yonder vessel now comes to land more blood-money ?”’ ‘Yes; or to take away what is here, divide it among the crew, and seek safety away from the seas, now that the great chief is dead.” ‘Would they save their necks they are ; ” - But will you allow yourself to be thus rob- ‘“ What have J to do with the gold, woman?” ‘“You are the son of your father,” she said, significantly. ““ Well?’ eee NO “You inherit his crimes, why not his blood- money?” ‘By Heaven! you reason well.” ‘Treason justly; claim your gold, ay, and—” a And what more would you tempt me to “Yonder lugger you have seen sail?” * ey¥ eens lack Flag. ee eo 15 _—-- ‘* And ride out a hurricane, which ac say dirs over you before she was righted ** Yes. “She is stanch?’ *« As a ship of the line.” * Swift?” “* Like the wind.” ‘* Carries a good armament?” ‘“‘ None better afloat of her tonnage.” ** And a brave crew?” ‘“‘ Very devils in action.” i **'Then you are a sailor?” *T am.” ‘You will not return to King Billy’s ser- vice?” ‘Never again care I to raise my bead among honorable men,” ‘‘ But among those who are like yourself, dis- honored?” ‘They are fit companions.” ‘Then let them be your comrades; yonder vessel needs a commander.” The intense expression she threw into what she said, made it more forcible than what she uttered, and it struck home where she meant it mocks for he clapped his hands together, and cried: ‘“'You are right, Witch of Perdition; I should follow in the career of my father; as he fell be- neath my hand, I am worthy to be such as he was, as I slew the commander of yonder pirate craft, it is but just that I should get them an- other—and who better than I ?” ‘No one; go down to the base of this tower; there is a secret passage leads from it to a vault beneath the main castle; there it is that the blood-stained treasure is hidden, Youare fear- less; await the coming of yonder vessel, and act as circumstances may dictate—come!” She dragged him, rather than led him, down the debris-covered stairway, and reac the base, she pointed out through the arched door- way and said: ‘There comes your vessel; upon her decks it lies with you to make yourself what and whom you please.” “T will; but tell me, woman, as you know my past so well, what name gave me my pa- rents?” ‘‘Thy mother named thee; she called thee by a name which, in the Gipsy tongue, signifies base-born.” ‘‘ And that name is—” “c K. a DD.” Le ' < a?” sé es.” ‘‘So be it; the whole world shall knew the name of Kyd.” There was no reply; no mock laughter, and turning to where she had stood, he saw that she was gone. He called to her, but no answer came, He was alone in Castle Death, and there, within a cable’s length, was the lugger of Hur- tel the Red Hand, his father, looking like the huge white spirit of a vessel, relieved* against the dark waters and darker rocks. CHAPTER XXV. THE - DECISION. As the vessel neared the land, it had lowered its large lugger sails, and under only a jib and trysail, or spanker, came slowly toward the rock at the base of the sea tower, and which was the landing of the castle. Standing in the shadow of the tower, he now plainly saw that it was the lugger which, twe weeks before, the cruiser had engaged, and whose chief he had killed. “‘ Ay, they said then I was strangely like the —the—my father, for ee deny him now? ven Captain Defoe spoke of the striking resem- blance,” he muttered, and he watched its ap- proach with interest, hope and despair running riot in his heart, for not himself guilty, he one moment ht, pe why should he become so; and then, feeling how base bis father had been, he felt that the stain had fallen upon him. As the waves were still rough, the lugger wore round when near the rock, came up into the wind, and hoisting her mainsail only, lay as still as though she had come to anchor. Upon her decks were crowds of men, and from her trim look it was evident thatshe had repair- ed the damages sustained in her fight with the king’s cruiser. A moment after a re boat was lowered, and into it crowded full a dozen men, who spoke in low tones, and appeared to be anxious not to attract attention, should any belated peasant be wandering along the bay road. ‘‘Oh God! have I come to thisf To-day life was all that hope could make it: to-night it is as gloomy as this old ruin, and my heart is as scarred by grief and shame as this pile of stone by the finger of time, and the shocks of the storms. ‘‘And shall I link my fate with these men? descend in one night from the high pedestal of honor upon which I stood, and into the hell of iniquity?” ‘‘But am I not the fit comrade of these men? “Jf they are outcasts, in God’s name what am 1? cae they are brandeé with outlawry, what ‘OTT? JOO